The Ties That Bind  RW
by TwistTie05
Summary: REVISED: What happens when, in a cruel twist of fate, Kagome finds herself falling back in time – but it is Sesshoumaru she meets first, not InuYasha? A strange alteration in which Kagome's fate lies in the hands of a youkai instead of a hanyou. R&R!
1. What Was Never To Be

**- THE TIES THAT BIND -  
An InuYasha _Manga_ Fanfiction**

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**Prologue: What Was Never To Be**  
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She was beginning to wonder if the wrenching pain in her chest would ever cease. It was hard to remember a time when her chest _hadn't_ felt like it was going to explode at any moment. It was as if her heart had grown too large for her ribcage, and was growing larger with each passing moment. Sometimes it hurt so much that she vaguely wondered if she was dying, or going insane, or both.

She imagined the pain was so strong because they were terrifyingly close to the end—the final battle against their long-time enemy, Naraku. She had never truly considered her predicament until these last couple weeks, always too preoccupied with worrying about school or this youkai attack or that youkai attack or any number of _other_ youkai attacks that plagued her days and nights. It all seemed so paltry now, oddly enough.

_Because it's almost over..._ she thought numbly, sinking deeper into the warm, semi-soothing water filling her present-day bathtub. It was strange to think that soon she would be able to take a hot bath every day without worrying. She'd be able to sleep in a soft bed as well, tucked safely under her downy comforters with only the youkai of her dreams to haunt her sleep.

An odd notion. Had there ever been a time when she hadn't traveled in the company of youkai? She could only vaguely remember the days before her first excursion in _Sengoku Jidai_, and it seemed to her as if they were someone else's experiences and not her own.

_Not my own..._

An unwelcome portrait of Kikyou swirled in the steaming water before her eyes. Not even her _soul_ was her own, any longer. No, it belonged to Kikyou—she was nothing more that a pale shadow of the ancient miko. The _Sengoku Jidai_ was Kikyou's time, not hers. Just as InuYasha's heart belonged to Kikyou...

_And not me_, she finished, sinking yet further into the water. It came up over her mouth now, just below her nose, and she watched as tiny bubbles escaped from between her lips to pop once they reached the surface. It was as if each of the bubbles were one of her dreams, floating through time only to burst with the cruel realization of her own hopeless circumstances. The realization that she had been born in the wrong era, and that there was nothing she could do about it—no matter how much she hated the idea.

_Destiny is a cruel thing, to drag me back in time like this._ She could have continued living her life, happy in her innocence, without ever worrying about the hanyou she loved and the friends she would give her life for. Perhaps she would have fallen in love with the strange and yet thoughtful Hojou. Perhaps she would have had the chance to live a normal, happy life, never worrying about anything larger than the next test around the corner—blissfully unaware that youkai existed in anything but fairy tales and dusty legends. How pleasant would that have been, never having to glance over her shoulder in fear for her life?

_But no. I am sent to fight this damnable war in a time that is not my own, and I don't even get to enjoy the benefits afterward. I'll come back here and try to pick up the scattered shards of my life, just like I pieced together the shards of the Shikon no Tama in the past. I won't get the man I love. I won't get the glory. I won't get _any_thing._

Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder if it was all worth it, in the end. If she truly wanted to, she could simply stay where she was and never return to _Sengoku Jidai_ again. She could avoid the Well altogether, leave the hanyou and Naraku far behind, and piece together the tatters until she could once again lead the normal life she had left behind years before. She contemplated this, watching her silky black hair float in the murky water around her white shoulders.

_It's no use_. She knew she would go back—probably on the morrow. It didn't matter how many fights she and InuYasha got in. It didn't matter how many times she realized how hopeless her prospects in the past were. It didn't matter how many times Kikyou appeared before her, baring a part of her soul and wearing a face that matched Kagome's own. None of it really mattered because, simply enough, she was in love. She was in love with a hanyou who was enamored with a past she knew nothing of—a hanyou so torn between his feelings that, even if he loved her back, he would tell her to return to her own time and leave _Sengoku Jidai_ behind forever. In the end, all of her efforts led back to the same place: returning home and abandoning everything she had fought so hard for these past few years.

She sighed as she pushed herself up out of the water, the steam swirling around her slender body. Despite all the beatings she had taken during her adventures, she was growing into her figure surprisingly well. Her hips had filled out nicely and ever her breasts seemed larger than she remembered them being before. Her thighs were firm, her stomach flat, her face slender—yes, at the very least, _Sengoku Jidai_ had forced her through more strenuous exercise than she would have ever found here, and given her the admirably thin but strong frame to match. But what did it matter? No matter how beautiful she became, InuYasha would always be looking the other way, over his shoulder to that painful past he could never let go of.

She pushed these thoughts aside with something of a sad smile, pulling the downy green towel from the rack next to her and wrapping it tightly around her slim figure. She ran a hand through her wet hair, her fingers catching in the tangles before jerking through them. It hurt, but the pain was welcome—anything to distract from that twisting, sinking ache in her chest. She leaned over the side of the tub, dipping her arm in to pull out the plug and let the hot water swirl down the pipes and off into oblivion. After this was finished, she turned away, walking to the door and pulling it open.

The wooden panels of the hallway creaked as she stepped on them, echoing in the silence of the night. It was somewhere around midnight, the rest of the family members having long since fallen asleep. A part of her felt sorry for them—she spend so much time in _Sengoku Jidai_ that is was as if she hardly knew them anymore. Souta was growing up so quickly: it seemed that each time she returned, he had already shot up another inch.

_Soon he'll be taller than me_, she thought with another faint, tired smile. Perhaps staying in her present time wouldn't be as horrible as she made it out to be. She could watch Souta grow. She could spend the last years of her grandfather's waning (yet still energetic) life actually _with_ him. She could help her mother around the house. She could spend more time with her friends. She could actually complete her education and maybe, just _maybe_, she could even get herself a _normal_ romantic life.

A small chuckle escaped between her lips as she walked to her room, shutting the door quietly behind her and flopping on her bed. The soft fabric of her blankets was comforting after such a long time of sleeping on hard wooden floors or, even worse, on dirt and rocks and sticks. She ran her hand over the cloth, tiling her head backwards as beads of heated water rolled down her limbs, dripping onto the bed.

_I'll go back tomorrow_, she decided at last, the thudding in her chest becoming too much to bear. She had to do _something_, even if it was as simple as deciding what she would do the next day.

She rose with a soft groan from her bed, pulling the towel tighter around her and moving over to the window next to her desk. She leaned her elbows against the sill, gazing out through the pane of glass at the night sky. In _Sengoku Jidai_, millions upon millions of stars decorated the heavens, glimmering all throughout the night. In Tokyo, only a few, faint pinpricks of light shone against the darkness—and those were probably the blinking lights of far off planes. There were so many differences between the two eras. Too many to count.

_When I leave that place for good, there will be nothing here to remind me of them_. She wasn't sure if she should be grateful for this or not. It might be easier, living her life without any painful and useless reminders of the man she could never have and the friends she must leave behind. She would miss them all—InuYasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, Kaede... even Sesshoumaru, Rin and Jaken, despite the fact that they were enemies more often than not.

"I wonder how things will turn out for them," she pondered aloud, her mind immediately grasping hold of any subject that took her thoughts away from the clenching pain in her chest that was quickly driving her mad. "It seems that Sesshoumaru is turning out to be more like his father than he would ever care to admit—letting Rin tag along at his heels like that." A soft giggle escaped her lips as she thought about what sort of face he would make if she pointed this out to him. Sesshoumaru was much the same as he had been when she had first met him, and yet very different as well.

_If only InuYasha could be more like his brother_, she thought, the giggle fading into a sigh as her mind inevitably turned back to the subject of her pain. _If only he wouldn't say needless things that do nothing but hurt the people around him... that hurt _me_. If only he could be strong and cautious—not so loud and obnoxiously brash._ She mused about how nice it would be to sit beside InuYasha quietly—no angry words, no sullen glares and awkward silences. Nothing but peace as they warmed their limbs over a crackling fire.

_But that's impossible_, she admitted wryly to herself as she turned away from the window, moving slowly over to her closet to retrieve her pajamas. When she finally slipped under the covers of her bed, her thoughts were haunted by images of InuYasha in the arms of the miko who looked so similar to herself... and of a young, smiling girl with warm brown eyes, trailing at the heels of a taiyoukai, his impassive face impossible to read...

For some reason, as her eyes drooped shut and the heavy weight of sleep settled over her, she felt as if something in her world was turning over—as if something vital in her life was beginning to change forever. The sensation was quickly forgotten, however, as black waves of unconsciousness rolled over her, leaving her with nothing but dreams and memories and that thrice damned pain that strangled her even in her sleep.

xXx

Kagome rested her hand on the old, worn wood of the door that opened in on the Bone Eater's Well, her head cocked fractionally to the right. The first rays of dawn were just beginning to peek over the horizon, the sky above shifting from black to murky gray. Old patches of snow dotted the ground and the chill of winter's breath danced fallen, half-rotted leaves across the cobblestones. It was gloomy, and yet crisp and clear and definite, as if the weather had conspired to remind her of her situation with painful clarity. Gloomy and yet impossible to ignore. She could already see where the path was leading her.

_But even so, that doesn't mean I shouldn't follow it to the end_, she told herself, trying to quell the suffocating sensation that was pushing itself up her throat and making it increasingly difficult to breathe. She shook her head, pushing the door open and stepping into the small, shrine-like building. The shadows gathered around her like living things, clawing at her feet with cobweb fingers and crawling up her legs as if to drag her down into the cold earth where she might rot and join them in an eternity of darkness. The thought made her shiver, partly because the idea was almost appealing to her grief-stricken mind.

She walked to the Well, shifting the weight of the lumpy pack on her back and frowning into the darkness. She remembered the days when she used to climb down the side slowly, always afraid that one day it wouldn't work and her legs would shatter on the bottom. Those days were so long ago, however—gone and half-forgotten. _Now_ she simply jumped in without so much as a second thought, never considering that she might hut herself if she ever changed to actually _hit_ the ground.

She swung her legs over the edge, brushing her hair back from her face and gazing quietly into the shadows for a long moment. The silence yawned around her, a chasm of empty emotions that threatened to swallow her whole. She wondered if InuYasha was waiting for her on the other side, pacing anxiously and growling under his breath as he tended to do. She wondered if he would welcome her back in that stubborn and relentless way of his, never admitting that he was wrong but nonetheless glad to see her again. Or perhaps he would simply look upon her with dull eyes and see only the woman he had lost more than fifty years past.

Her knuckles turned white as her grip on the rim of the Well tightened, her breath hissing between clenched teeth. She started slightly, shaking her head as if to dislodge such depressing thoughts from her mind.

"Enough of this," she said aloud, firmly. There was no one around to hear but her—the rest of her family was still asleep, unaware of her hasty return to _Sengoku Jidai_. "It's time to go."

_It's time to end this_, she thought as she pushed off the edge, her body suspended in air, in shadows and in magic.

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**Next Chapter  
****Chapter One: ****Twist of Fate**

Stumbling from the Well, Kagome finds herself faced with a situation she had never expected. Instead of returning to warm greetings by her friends and that stubborn hanyou she had come to love, she finds herself face to face with none other than Sesshoumaru himself. Now she must puzzle through her new and frightening circumstances and search for a way to turn things right—and stay alive besides.

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	2. Twist of Fate

**Chapter One: Twist of Fate**  
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As she drifted gently through the darkness, she expected nothing but to lightly glide to the other side, settling upon dirt and leafs to look up at the brilliantly blue sky she had become so familiar with. She found herself quickly disabused of this notion, her eyes widening as she watched the skeletal figure of a centipede twist up through the darkness. The beautiful white visage of a female face leered up at her, six human hand stretched forward to grasp at her ankle as she floated downwards. This was not so surprising in itself—youkai attacks were almost as common as seeing the sun rise each morning and set each night. What caught her breath in her throat was that she _knew_ this youkai: recognized it hazily from a long, long, _long_ time past.

"How wonderful," the youkai hissed in an almost dreamy tone, one of her soft, human hands clutching at Kagome's shoe while another clasped her ankle and yet another slithered up her leg, drawing her closer into what could easily prove to be a fatal embrace. "I can feel my powers returning..."

Kagome stared at the human face that hovered so close to hers, the centipede body twisting through the darkness below. She watched in horror as the youkai's flesh began to regenerate, piecing together over the long, skeletal ribcage. Silky black hair, straight and oily, mixed with her own as the youkai's mouth opened, a long, slimy tongue extending forth. She could see the creature clearly, despite the vast expanse of darkness around them. There was no mistaking it—there was no possible _way_ to mistake it. This youkai, whatever it was, was an exact twin of the very first beast she had ever encountered so long ago. This youkai was the exact mirror of the creature that had started it all: the evil spirit that had dragged her into the Well and back to _Sengoku Jidai_.

"My body is growing back..." the womanly voice murmured, her tongue sliding over Kagome's cheek with a disconcerting _slurp_. "You... have it, don't you?"

_Have it?_ she thought, snapping out of her stunned reverie. _Have _what_? _

"Let _go_ of me!" she snarled aloud while her thoughts reeled within. What was going on? Was she dreaming again—reliving an old memory in frightening detail? But she could feel the fingers digging into her skin, tightening around her with hungry desperation. It _hurt_. Not the worst pain she had felt, certainly, but she _felt_ it nonetheless. Was it possible to feel pain in one's own dream?

There was no time to consider the possibilities. She flung out her hand with a scream of disgust and confused fear and watched as a bright, purplish light flared from her palm, consuming her fingers and driving forth against the youkai's nearly pretty face. A shrill scream echoed forth as the creature relinquished it's grip, falling backwards. It's face withered, strands of hair trailing into the darkness, limbs shuddering and twitching in pain. Then it was gone, and silence prevailed.

She stared downwards, breathing somewhat unsteadily as her eyes scanned the darkness. _What was that?_ her thoughts pounded forth, despairingly. _Something must have happened on the other side. InuYasha... InuYasha, is everything alright?_ She felt her heart pick up pace again, no longer with the twisting pain of defeated hope, but now with the equally distressing ache of fear for the one's she loved.

She breathed a sigh of relief as her feet lightly touched the bottom of the Bone Eater's Well, sinking into at least half a foot of snow. A quick glance around reassured her that nothing _appeared_ to have gone wrong. The air was cold, the sky crisply clear, and wintry silence settled comfortably around her. Everything seemed perfectly in order, and the heavy beating of her heart settled quickly enough into its old rhythm, wracked by that familiar, _insufferable_ pain that she had almost gotten accustomed to, after all her time with it.

_Too bad, too_, she thought with something of a sullen smile. _I could do without it, I think_. She shook her head slightly, her gloved fingers curling around the sturdy vine that wound down the wall of the Well from bottom to top. She began pulling herself up, hand over hand, until she reached the snow-dusted rim.

When she finally pulled herself over the lip and had time to glance around her surroundings, the first thing she noted was that it a storm must have hit the previous night. She was nearly blinded by the glare of sunlight reflected off the pristine heaps of white powder that surrounded her on all sides, dripping off the laden branches of trees and completely obscuring the ground at her feet. She squinted, trying in vain to adjust her eyesight to the sudden brightness of the world around her, so vastly opposed to the gloomy gray of her home in Tokyo.

She couldn't help but smile slightly as she caught a glimpse of movement—the soft sheen of silver hair she had come to know so well—from the corner of her eye. So he _had_ come to greet her after all. She turned, one hand rising to shield her eyes as they began to water from the blinding glare.

"InuYasha?" she called, wondering if he was still mad at her. Normally he would have been the first to speak, bounding forth to help her neatly out of the Well. She moved her hand away from her face and froze, nearly toppling straight over, back into the pit that gaped behind her.

"You know of my brother?"

Her heart stopped beating. An interesting sensation, considering her mind continued to work at a now frantic pace. Her hands curled around the edge of the Well, her entire body as stiff as a board as she stared at the man she knew so well, and yet not at all. Sesshoumaru, InuYasha's half-brother. She silently cursed herself for her foolishness—she had become so engrained in the usual routine that she had not even noticed the difference in his aura. She berated herself for not having paid closer attention—at the very least she would have had _some_ kind of warning.

_But no. Stupid me: I actually thought it was InuYasha!_ Stupid indeed. She flipped one leg so that it dangled over the side of the Well, into the hole dug through time. She knew how fast the inuyoukai could move, and if she had any hope of surviving if he decided to attack, she had best be ready to escape as quickly as possible. Only once perched over the edge of the Well, ready to jump in a moment's notice, did she pause to consider his words.

And blinked.

"Huh?" she breathed dumbly, his question finally penetrating her apparently thick skull—and it made no sense at all. What did he mean by asking such a thing as that? Of _course_ she knew his brother! He had seen them traveling together a thousand times before. They had fought against each other in countless battles. They had fought _with_ each other, for god's sake! How could he not remember?

_Perhaps this is his ego kicking in, or something_, she thought wryly, her mind slowly grinding back into motion. _No self-respecting youkai would ever acknowledge a human, after all. Maybe this is his way of trying to put me in my place? "You are beneath my notice"_—_that type of thing. Pretending he doesn't recognize me..._ She decided to go along with it. There wasn't much else she could do, after all—and as an added show of respect, she bowed her head in as demure a manner as she could manage.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," she murmured, adding the honorific _-sama_ to the end of his name pointedly. She had no desire to give offense to such a powerful youkai when none of her friends appeared to be in the vicinity to save her. Where _were_ they, anyway? And what in the world was Sesshoumaru doing hovering over the Bone Eater's Well?

The young—or relatively young, anyway—taiyoukai narrowed his eyes slightly as his name escaped from her lips. She frowned at this, her body tensing once again. She _knew_ something was wrong—something far beyond the mysterious presence of InuYasha's half-brother.

She regarded his tall, lithe form cautiously. He looked the same as she remembered: long, silver hair flowing over his shoulders and down his spine, all the way to the back of his knees; golden chips for eyes reflecting the glaring light bounced from the snow; strong, muscular form half-hidden by the loose white haori, decorated with tiny flower patterns that curled up his shoulders and down his sleeves; heavy, fanged breastplate plastering his otherwise loose and billowing clothing to his strong frame; absurdly large mokomoko resting over his shoulder; and aristocratically high cheek bones, sharp nose and markings painted on his cheeks and forehead. Yes, all of it was most assuredly the same, and yet she had the distinct impression that there was something _different_ as well. She looked him over again.

"How do you know my name?" he asked coldly, his slender fingers flexing threateningly. His fingernails were more like claws, truly, gleaming hungrily in the glaring sunlight. They were fascinating things—long and deadly, carrying in them a poison that could easily burn through her flesh in an instant. His claws... yes! That was it. There was something strange there... but what?

Her eyes widened, her mouth dropping open and her breath whistling past her teeth as she stared at him, finally detecting what she had been searching for all along. He had _both_ arms. Not just one, but _two_. And yet, she distinctly remembered him having only one last she saw him, and that wasn't _so_ long ago. She was relatively certain that he couldn't have grown another in such a short time, if he could grow one at all—unless he was making deals with Naraku again.

"Your arm! You have _two_!" she gasped, pulling her leg over the side of the Well and stumbling to the ground as she lurched forward to take a closer look, her pack dropping heedlessly into the snow. The inuyoukai's eyes widened before quickly narrowing to slits again, a snarl pulling back on his lips as he stared at her with an undeniably disgusted expression written across his face.

"Most people _do_," he responded sharply, taking a step away from her and flexing his claws again. Her gaze jerked up from his filled sleeve—both arms matched, so it was definitely _his_ appendage—to his face, sticking there. He regarded her as if he thought she was insane—which was, of course, entirely possible—and no flicker of recognition crossed his aristocratic features. She was stumped. Dumbfounded. Lost. Confused. She had absolutely _no_ idea what was going on.

"What are you... talking about?" she fumbled through the words. "Don't you remember? InuYasha, he... with the Tetsusaiga he..." She faltered, trying to drag up the right words from the scrambled depths of her mind. Everything was jumbled, and she found her voice trailing off helplessly as she stared up at his increasingly incredulous expression.

"How do _you_ know of the Tetsusaiga?" the inuyoukai snarled suddenly, taking an unexpected step forward. He was much taller than her—in fact, he _towered_ over her—and suddenly she felt a great deal smaller than she ever remembered feeling in his presence before. She also felt that she was in quite a bit of danger and rather wished she was still hanging off the edge of the Well instead of standing stupidly right beneath his imperial nose. If looks could kill, his golden eyes would have murdered her three times over.

"How do you know of InuYasha? How do you know of _me_?" he demanded again as she hunched her shoulders, staring up at his face. His expression was cold and calculating, and perhaps even a little _angry_. That was the last thing she wanted to see, standing in the snow without InuYasha or the others to back her up. She knew that if she didn't think of something, and think of something _quickly_, she would be in grave danger indeed. It was too damn bad that her mind was working so slowly.

"I... InuYasha and I... we traveled together," she said, trying to draw some confidence into her voice despite his imposing figure hovering over her. She opened her mouth to try and say more but was quickly and rudely cut off by his claws curling around her neck, lifting her bodily from the ground. Her breath squeezed out in a yelp of surprise as her feet lifted from the ground, her fingers going to his hands as she tried desperately to pry them loose.

"You _lie_, human," he growled, his voice frighteningly calm. "My half-brother has been pinned to that tree for nearly fifty years now, and you are far too young to have traveled with him before his imprisonment." He did not raise his voice, and she knew with striking clarity that he _would_ kill her, and likely think nothing of it.

"_No_," she hissed breathlessly. If her mind had been in a panic before, it was absolutely raving now. If this was some kind of joke, he was taking it way too far. She had absolutely no clue as to what was happening. Just yesterday she had parted from InuYasha and her friends to return home for a simple, good night's rest—and now she returned to find herself facing her beloved's half-crazed brother who couldn't seem to recognize her?

_He doesn't even know that his brother has been freed!_ she thought, terrified. None of it added up. None of it made any sense at all. What the _hell_ was happening?

The inuyoukai abruptly let her go, his lips curling back in another silent snarl as he took one step away from her. She slumped into the snow, her entire body shaking and her hands still clutching her throat. She could feel the bruises forming where his fingers had dug into her skin, and she thanked god that he had not cut her with those venomous and deadly claws of his. Her chest heaved as she gulped for breath, her hair falling over her hunched shoulders and face as she struggled to make sense of the situation that inherently made no sense.

"Who are you, _girl_?" the cold voice asked from somewhere above her. She wasn't looking—she was searching for answers within the depths of her brain, dragging up possible explanations as to what was happening. She listed the facts systematically, trying to fit them together in some semblance of order that would solve the mystery of her unexpected circumstances.

_One: he doesn't remember me. Two: he doesn't remember his brother being released from the God-Tree. Three: he has his arm back._ That seemed to be all she could think of at the moment, and none of it made sense no matter _what_ order she put them in. All she could think was that this was another nasty ploy schemed by Naraku.

"I asked you a question." His voice cracked like a whip through her thoughts with such force that she could almost feel the words hit her physically. She jerked her head up, staring at his haughtily impatient face. Part of her—the part that was detached and still semi-rational—marveled at how different his expression of impatience was compared to InuYasha's. The taiyoukai managed to look both handsome and deadly rolled into one package, whereas InuYasha only ever appeared peeved.

"Ah, but... you know me already," she murmured helplessly. "Kagome, don't you remember?" His claws twitched again, but still no recognition dawned across his expression.

_He really _doesn't _know me, does he?_ she admitted at last. The realization hit her so hard that for a moment it felt as if someone had just tossed a brick at her skull, full force. Somehow, in some way, he had completely forgotten she existed.

xXx

He growled low in his throat as he regarded her limp form, slowly flexing his claws and trying to keep his irritation under control. It was hard, however, with those subtle, intoxicating waves of power rolling off her body, crawling over his senses and sending goose bumps shooting across his pale skin. He didn't know who she was—nor even _what_ she was, for that matter. She certainly smelled human, but he had never met a human with an aura such as hers.

The strange power she harbored within her called out to him, whispering in his ear to take it, and in return it—whatever _it_ was—would grant him unimaginable power. It beckoned to him, burning in his blood and distracting his thoughts from the curious things she said. That wasn't the only thing that bothered him, however. When his claws had curled around her throat, he had felt _another_ power rise up in her, thrumming through her flesh: something entirely separate.

It was the power of a miko, he knew, and a strong one at that. Not only did she harbor some strange, evil energy in her flesh, but she nursed the pure and painful power of a priestess as well. It made no sense at all.

He took a step backwards, his lips curling into another fang-revealing snarl and his golden eyes narrowing to slits as her expression twisted into one of confused horror, babbling meaninglessly about how they had already met, or some other such nonsense. He debated killing her, but was wary of getting too close until he new the nature of the powers that flooded through her veins.

"We have never met," he responded coldly, harshly. Humans all tended to blur together in his mind, but he was certain he would have remembered this aura if he had ever come across it before. She looked dumbfounded at this statement, her mouth once again drooping open stupidly. He could almost see her thoughts grinding along behind those large, brown eyes of hers. He took the time to contemplate his situation.

She wore strange clothing of a foreign type he had never come across before. The fabric clung to her skin, tight and indecently revealing, he thought. She had long, raven-black hair that flowed over her shoulders and back, dark bangs curling around her cheeks and falling loosely over top her eyes. They were a deep brown, and her skin was pale but her slim figure strong and healthy. He could smell the scent of growth on her, muddled by fear and confusion. No matter how much he squinted at her, he could not see her as anything but strange and foreign.

Not only did she look unusual, but she acted so as well. She seemed to recognize him, in some way—at the very least she knew his name, and that of his brother as well. She also knew of the Tetsusaiga, which bothered him more than anything else. She certainly _shouldn't_ know the name of his father's sword, carved out of his own fang. No human should have knowledge such as that—or so he had always thought.

And then there was, of course, that troubling, suffocating aura. He was beginning to be able to separate 'it' from her own—for it was indeed a different entity entirely. She was a miko, but this _thing_ reeked of youkai and of taint. It was calling out to him shamelessly, and he wanted no part of its false bargain. Power was something he would gain from his own toils, not as a discarded gift from some _other_ unnameable force.

"InuYasha." His thoughts were pulled away from him as the name chocked from the strange woman's throat. He could smell fear hanging heavily around her as she pushed herself hastily to her feet, pressing her silky hair back from her face and glancing around quickly to catch her bearing. He watched her cautiously, unsure of what her purpose was. She didn't seem to be focusing on him, however, so he assumed she had no intention of attacking—and even if she did, he was fairly certain that he could dispatch of her without _too_ much trouble, even considering her formidable miko powers and that _other_ aura. Still: he wasn't willing to risk. At least not until he found out just _why_ she had climbed out of an empty well, and how she knew of him and the Tetsusaiga.

Suddenly she was rushing past him, leaving that yellow, lumpy bag of hers forgotten on the ground. He turned to watch her as she dashed to the half-hidden path that led down the hill, pausing there and staring over the edge, down at the village below. She seemed to be reassured by this sight, her shoulders squaring in a determined manner before quickly turning off the path and tumbling through snow and bush and bramble.

He followed her, leaping gracefully over the very same obstacles that tugged and tore at her clothing. He made certain to keep a safe distance back, however, in case she should decide to turn on him without warning. His golden eyes burned into her back, watching her suspiciously. He couldn't begin to guess what she was up to, and this bothered him. He didn't think he had ever been so clueless in his lifetime—and if this continued, he _would_ bury his poisonous claws into her chest and rip her beating heart from her body out of spite alone.

xXx

The sight of the village sprawled out below was a little reassuring—at least _something _hadn't changed. It looked just the same as she remembered it from yesterday, excluding the snow. The little huts clustered together, thatch roofs heavy with white dust and thin tendrils of smoke curling up from tiny, makeshift chimneys. It was early in the morning though, and cold besides, and she couldn't see anyone stirring in the streets or the fields beyond—but that was to be expected. She squared her shoulders, turning and pushing hastily through the brambles that would lead around to the other side of the God-Tree.

The only way she could prove to herself that her theory was correct—or disprove it, as she so fervently hoped—was to go see the tree for herself. It loomed over her, huge branches spreading out in every direction, dripping frozen dew that drifted slowly to the already frosted ground. It was a massive thing, easily seen from even miles away: the largest tree in the area. It was probably the only thing, besides the Well itself, that would remain to remind her of the past once she returned forever to her own time.

She forced her numb body forward, part of her eager to come around the edge of the enormous tree, another part of her dreading it. If she was right, then Sesshoumaru _had_ never met her. If she was right, then even _InuYasha_ had never met her. If she was right, then somehow the Bone Eater's Well had mistakenly sent her _too_ far back in time: back to a time somewhere before her first trip to _Sengoku Jidai_, before she had ever released InuYasha from his curse. If that was the case, then...

_Then what?_ she asked herself, resting her palm against the frozen bark of the God-Tree. She could feel its life moving sluggishly through wooden veins. Far more importantly, she could feel the taiyoukai's gaze boring into her back, as if he sought to rip her flesh to shreds with a mere look. She was somewhat surprised he hadn't killed her already.

She pushed forward again, taking a deep gulp of cold air as she came around the edge of the sprawling tree and...

...and sank to her knees, her legs cushioned in a pillow of powdery snow as they collapsed beneath her, no longer capable of supporting her own weight. Her head tilted back in despair, her hair falling loosely over her shoulders as she stared in shock at the suspended figure of her beloved. Of her InuYasha.

"How can this be?" she whispered, her voice breaking. The Well had never failed her before—at least not in this way. Why now? Why had it sent her back to this time, before she had ever even _met_ InuYasha? If she went back home and returned again, would she still be here? Or would she return to that time in the near future, on the cusp of their final battle against Naraku?

"How can this be...?"

xXx

Sesshoumaru stood off to the side, his golden-eyed gaze flicking between the distraught form of the strange miko and the almost lifeless figure of his half-brother, whom he had visited just moments before. His nose crinkled, a frown flashing across his face as the girl turned her pleading gaze on him, once again helplessly whispering one question: how can this be? He had no answer for her—he wasn't quite sure what it was that _shouldn't_ be, after all.

"You say you traveled with my brother," he said instead, forcing his voice to remain calmer than he felt. "And yet, you can clearly see that such is impossible—unless you are far older than you appear, of course." This was an interesting idea. She certainly smelled human, but perhaps this miko had developed a power beyond the usual, giving her a far longer life than most others. She _did_ seem rather powerful. Or perhaps her apparent youthfulness was the cause of that _other_ power he sensed within her.

"Fate is cruel," the girl hissed under her breath with sudden vehemence, her voice so low that if he had not had extraordinary hearing, he would never have caught it at all. She almost laughed—he could sense it on the edge of her voice—a harsh, bitter thing that never blossomed into existence. He frowned again.

"Nonsense," he answered coldly, tilting his chin up and continuing. "But _fate_ matters little. You have yet to answer my questions: how do you know of me? And how do you know of the Tetsusaiga? That is not a thing of common human lore." Or at least, he did not believe so. In truth, the little amount of time he ever spent among humans usually involved copious amounts of blood and death.

She rose to her feet then, lurching forward clumsily and almost sliding to her knees again. She moved to walk past him, murmuring something about 'returning home'. His eyes flashed with sudden uncontainable fury, his arm lunging, clawed fingers curling around her forearm and jerking her back into place. Even in that short amount of time, he could feel her miko powers surging up through her skin. He growled at her threateningly.

"Impudent _human_! Do you think you can ignore me, _Sesshoumaru-sama's_, questions so easily? You will not be leaving until I am satisfied!" It was irksome, this girl who ignored him so blatantly and yet whom he could not kill. Not if he wanted answers, anyway. Not if he wanted to avoid a battle that could, possibly, injure him.

She stared at him, the fear momentarily gone from her face. He could feel strength thrumming through her—the aura of an experienced fighter. He could smell the fear rolling off her in thick waves, murky with confusion and frustration. Yet her gaze was clear as she met his eyes with her own.

"Answer my questions—_now_!"

"I _can't_!" she hissed, attempting to take a step back. He felt his anger boil over, his claws curling tight around her neck once again. He could feel the surge of her power tingling across his flesh, but he ignored it—at least for the time being, it wasn't causing any pain.

"Then you will _die_," he growled, clenching his fingers tighter around the soft muscle of her human flesh. They were such fragile creatures.

So easy to break.

xXx

She felt the air being crushed out of her, even more forcefully than the first time he had threatened to strangle her. This time, she knew, it was no threat. She struggled, scrabbling at his hand with her fingers—he was choking her with _one hand_!—her eyes going wide. Her lungs burned, and she was painfully aware that she had to do _something_ if she hoped to be free of his death grip.

"_No_!" she cried breathlessly, the word rattling from her throat like some dead or dying creature. "You... you _need_ me!" For a moment she could see Sesshoumaru's eyes narrow, but everything was going blurry, all the colors smearing together and swirling around in one giant, cosmic rainbow that threatened to quickly fade into nothingness. Into death.

And then, an instant later, she was kneeling in the snow again, gasping for breath and clutching at her now freed throat. She coughed, her body trembling wildly from the strain.

"Why would _I_ need _you_?" the taiyoukai asked warily, though he seemed willing to listen. She glanced up to his face, seeing the graceful arch of his slender brows. She found that she was not very good at coming up with lies quickly—especially not under such stressful circumstances—and so she simply told the truth.

"Because you don't know where the Tetsusaiga _is_," she coughed weakly, her eyes fluttering shut for a moment as she attempted to steady the swaying world around her. She missed the narrowing of his eyes as he looked down at her, as well as the frown that twitched on his lips, but she could sense them in the shudder that crawled along her spine.

"You may continue," he allowed after a long pause as she struggled to catch her breath and still the rapid beating of her heart. She lifted one hand from her neck to rub her temple as the easy truth once again tumbled from her mouth.

"_I_ know where Tetsusaiga is. And you can't set _him_ free without _me_."

"How can a pathetic human such as yourself set my half-brother free? And how could you _possibly_ know where my father's sword is hidden?" She could sense the suspicion growing in his voice, though she dared not lift her gaze to his face. She kept her eyes closed, afraid that if she opened them again the world would start toppling around her. She already felt sick to her stomach—all the extra, dizzying motion would probably make her vomit.

"I know a lot of things," she continued weakly, trying to steady her voice and sound as confident as she possibly could. She kept one side of her brain working hard towards a solution while she turned the other side off entirely, refusing to acknowledge her situation and what it might mean for her future if she couldn't return to the _right_ time. "I know that you carry Tenseiga, another heirloom left by your father, which can save a hundred lives in a single swing. I know you travel with a youkai named Jaken. I know you search for the fang that your father left to InuYasha, though I am sure you have never told anyone such. I know... a lot of things." She didn't sound very confident—only tired. And sick. Both of which she very much _was_.

There was another very long pause. She finally lifted her head to look at his face. He had shifted his gaze away from her, resting it instead on the familiar figure of his half-brother. She didn't dare follow his gaze, for fear her heart would burst if she looked upon her beloved's nearly lifeless form. She simply glued her eyes on the taiyoukai's elegant visage, staring numbly and stupidly and without purpose.

At last the taiyoukai spoke.

"Then you will release him. And you will give me the Tetsusaiga," he murmured, lifting a slender motion towards his brother's limp form.

She glanced at InuYasha at last, and thought for an instant that she heard the shattering of her broken heart.

xXxXxXx

**Next Chapter  
Chapter Two: The Tetsusaiga**

Chaos ensues as InuYasha is released from his cursed prison and the location of the graveyard is revealed to the ambitious Sesshoumaru. What will happen when the next battle begins, and the stubborn Tetsusaiga proves unwieldable?

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	3. The Tetsusaiga

**Chapter Two: The Tetsusaiga**  
xXx

The roots of the God-Tree curled up its trunk, twisting and winding around the familiar form of the man she had slowly come to love. His head lolled to the side, his eyes closed and his silver-white hair falling over his face. he looked oddly peaceful in his sleep—an expression she had never seen in his waking days. The billowing sleeves of his red robe were pinned against the tree, an old arrow protruding from his chest.

It was like déjà vu. How long had it been since she last stood before this tree, staring up at his silent form? Nothing had changed, and yet _everything_ had changed. The ground was cloaked in snow and Sesshoumaru of all people stood over her, his golden eyes glaring at his brother's face. That was different to its very core, and she had no idea what to do.

Still, she was not the careless fifteen-year-old girl she had been upon first coming to _Sengoku Jidai_. That had been nearly three years ago. She was older now, more experienced, and had the ability to _think_ before she acted, though admittedly she did not use the skill often. She took a deep breath, curling her hands in the sleeves of her jacket as she tried to ward off the biting cold of the snow around her knees.

_So somehow I have ended up back in _Sengoku Jidai_, some period of time before freeing InuYasha. That means that the Tetsusaiga is still sealed away in InuYasha's eye. _That_ means that Naraku has not yet risen to his full power, and hasn't begun his plots... which further means the Shikon no Tama is still..._

Her hand traveled unconsciously to her side as she bit down on her lip. She hadn't noticed before, though now that she thought about it, she could feel the strange and unfamiliar throbbing sensation in her side—sense the aura she had spent so much time chasing during her time in this era. She glanced up at Sesshoumaru, her eyes going wide as the realization fell over her completely—the Shikon no Tama was, once again, buried in her flesh. A shudder ran up her spine as she realized just how much danger she was in. Youkai were naturally attracted to the power of the jewel, and with it buried deep in her flesh, she was more likely than ever to be attacked and ripped to pieces.

_But I'll die anyway, if I don't obey him_—_and quickly_, she thought as Sesshoumaru turned his sharp gaze on her, a frown pursing his lips together. She knew that she could help him—it would be easy. All she had to do was remove the arrow from InuYasha's chest and then tell him of the graveyard hidden in the hanyou's eye. And yet, no matter how much it made her already pained heart ache, she knew that InuYasha would not recognize her, and she was not at _all_ certain that she could bear it. He would probably try to kill her as well—to steal the Shikon no Tama from its nest within her flesh.

_Truly, fate is cruel. It seems that no matter what I do, my own death looms ahead of me_, she thought, the frantic pace of her thoughts screeching to a halt. If that was the case, then there was no point resisting any longer. Her heart already felt like it was splinter into a thousand pieces—how much more damage could one blow cause? Even if her beloved looked on her with eyes of hatred, without any sign of recognition, how much worse would that be from the tired, longing eyes he so often wore in the future—those eyes that were always looking to Kikyou and _away_ from her.

_But if I let him go this way... will my future be changed forever? Will I never be able to return to the InuYasha I fell in love with?_

"What are you doing, _miko_?" Sesshoumaru snarled softly, interrupting her reverie as he slowly flexed his fingers. "Get up and set him free, as I said!"

It seemed she didn't have much of a choice in the first place. She pushed herself to her feet, her knees shaking beneath her as one hand brushed over the purple bruises blossoming on her neck. She looked up to Sesshoumaru's face in silent sorrow. She was almost eighteen years old, and yet she felt more helpless and lost than ever before. She had come to _Sengoku Jidai_ expecting to find her friends waiting for her only to find that all of her memories, all of her actions, had been completely erased. Now it seemed that she would have to start over in a completely different manner, and she didn't know if anything would ever be as it was supposed to be again.

_Maybe this is all a dream_? she asked herself as she turned numbly towards the limp figure of InuYasha, ignoring Sesshoumaru's blazing eyes against her back. She took a step forward, clambering up the huge, twisting roots clumsily, her shoes slipping on the frozen bark. She found herself standing before him far more quickly than she honestly wanted to. She stared at his face, at the soft white ears that she had innocently fingered upon first meeting him, all those years ago.

_What a strange boy_, she had thought then, as she tickled his ears with a curious smile on her face. It was odd—back then she had hardly felt afraid at all, despite the fact that she had been transferred to a time and place she knew nothing of. Why was it that she was so afraid now? She had been thoughtlessly, carelessly confident when she had first come to _Sengoku Jidai_, knowing neither where she was nor what she was doing there. And yet now... now that she recognized and intimately knew the people and places around her... why was she so afraid?

_Because before I had no expectations. Before I simply followed along, clueless and naive. This time, however, everything is different from how I thought it would be when I leapt through the Well... _

She could feel Sesshoumaru's glare like a burn in her flesh as she lifted a hand, her gloved fingers curling around the shaft of the arrow. She leaned forward so that her nose almost touched InuYasha's, fighting back the tears that welled up in her eyes.

"When I set you free... please don't hurt me," she whispered softly as the arrow came loose in her hand.

xXx

He could feel it: a tingling sensation that caused his consciousness to stir even before he came fully awake. He could feel his blood begin to churn in his veins, could feel the shuddering of his heart as it came to life again. He could feel the heavy weight of sleep lifting from him—slowly, slowly, ever so slowly. For a moment his mind remained numb as blood splashed through his veins, bringing color and life to his features again. For a moment no emotion touched him, no thought disrupting his sleep. Then, like a wave bursting angrily on the cold shore of his mind, everything came alive.

Power surged through his limbs so suddenly that for an instant his first breath was delayed. Then he gasped, his eyes flashing open and his head falling forward. He had been pinned to the tree so long—alive and yet never able to move. He had slept for so very long. The sensation of his own strength returning was so startling that, at first, he didn't know where he was or what he was doing there.

And yet, even in his confusion, triumph welled in the beating of his heart, rolling over him in golden, glorious waves of freedom. He shook his head furiously, a growl bursting from his throat as he tensed his muscles against the roots that clung to his frame. His golden eyes stared down at his body—at the claws that he could now flex and at the chest that heaved with breath. He smirked, almost laughing, as he strained against the confines of the roots. The wood split, bark crackling around him and flying away as he pulled free, his silver hair falling over his shoulders and half-obscuring his face.

"Free!" he howled in ecstasy, not yet taking note of his surroundings. "Free at last!"

"It seems she did not lie." InuYasha started as the familiar, cool voice drew him away from his triumph. He immediately dropped into a reflexive crouch, his golden eyes flashing to the face of his half-brother—the cursed Sesshoumaru, haunting reminder of the father he had lost.

"She truly did release you," he continued, musing more to himself than anyone else. His narrow eyes traced over InuYasha's shoulder. For a moment he only growled low in his throat before a new sensation rolled over him and he blinked, whirling around.

He felt as if he had just been punched in the stomach. The last of his breath whistled between his fanged teeth as he stared at the figure before him. Her eyes were wide with fear, her palms pressed against the hard bark of the tree behind her as her entire body trembled, a discarded arrow sleeping in the snow at her feet. Waves of pained terror rolled off her body, half-obscuring the stench he knew so well. The stench of the woman who had betrayed him. He could feel the growl rumbling in his throat as his golden eyes widened, hate welling up in his chest.

"_You_!" he hissed as she cowered back a bit further, desperation in her eyes, one hand clutching her neck as if it hurt her. It was _Kikyou_. She looked just as he remembered, though her clothing was unusual and her hair somewhat shorter. Her smell was certainly the same, and he could even sense the purity of her miko powers welling up beneath her skin. He could sense something else, however—that fetid, crawling, twitching sensation that burned in his blood, calling out to him, promising power and revenge.

She had the Shikon no Tama.

That was all the realization he needed. He lunged forward with a howl of rage, claws extended, with every intent of ripping her to shreds.

xXx

Sesshoumaru snorted derisively as his claws curled around his brother's neck, pulling him back and tossing him effortlessly to the side. The hanyou flew through the air, slamming into the nearest tree with an angry yelp before sliding into the snow. He was up quickly enough, crouched low with lips pulled back in a snarl that revealed his fangs, white ears pressed back against his skull.

The human was _his_, and he had no intention of letting his foolish half-brother take her life before he was ready to part with her. She had yet to tell him the location of the Tetsusaiga—and he was certain that there was a far deeper store of knowledge in that ugly human head of hers. He couldn't say _why_ she was so powerful, nor why she seemed to know so much, but he was not going to let the opportunity pass him by just so that the hanyou could satisfy his urge to kill.

"What are you doing?" his half-brother snarled at him as the human slumped to the ground with a shuddering breath, her wide eyes full of unshed tears. He turned slightly, keeping both of them in his sight as he responded to the hanyou's furious question in his usual calm and collected manner.

"She is useful to me," he said simply, his fingers flexing as he arched a slender brow. His next words were directed at the human, sharp authority crackling in his voice. "Where is the Tetsusaiga?" The dual powers that rolled off of her were unnerving, but she seemed unwilling to use either for some strange reason, and he was quick to take advantage of her hesitance and fear. She shuddered, as if his words weighed down on her, her shoulders slumping and her head bowing slightly. He could smell resignation on her.

"The left black pearl," she murmured heavily, as if she were dragging the words back from some far away place. He was startled, his eyes widening and then narrowing in an instant. Those were the words of his father's riddle, the only clue he had left as to the location of the Tetsusaiga. How could she possible know them?

"The left..." she continued quietly, her voice faltering as she lifted her gaze, flicking it towards InuYasha in a pleading manner. The hanyou was still growling low in his throat, eyes full of hatred as he glanced between the girl and his half-brother, confusion and anger boiling in his face.

"The left pupil," she said at last, sinking back. "The left eye."

Sesshoumaru blinked.

And then whirled around, a smirk playing on the edges of his lips as he stepped towards his brother. The hanyou immediately stiffened, drawing back slightly and hiss through clenched teeth.

"Trust father to hide his prized possession in such an odd place," he said to himself, finally giving in and letting the smirk play across his features. He almost wanted to laugh—almost. It was such an absurdly simple thing that he was surprised he had not noticed it before. It was certainly something his father would have come up with. The left black pearl, hidden in plain sight, and yet where it cannot be seen. An eye. InuYasha's eye!

"This may hurt a little," he said, triumph in his voice. Too quick for the hanyou to move out of the way, the fingers of one hand once again curled around his throat, lifting him bodily from the ground. The hanyou snarled in his face, clamoring like some wild beast to get free, limbs flailing and golden eyes burning with hatred. Sesshoumaru could hear the soft gasp of the girl behind him as she watched, but this he ignored. The riddle was solved, the pieces fitting together at last, and he would _finally_ have the Tetsusaiga in his hands.

"It will be all the more painful if you keep struggling," he commented mockingly. In another instant his fingers plunged into his brother's left eye, burying deep in the dilated pupil.

The hanyou howled in pain, his entire body going taut, suspended in the air as Sesshoumaru removed his fingers, a tiny black pearl clutched between them. He then loosened his grip, hardly even sparing his half-brother a glance as he crumpled to the ground. He turned slightly to regard the human carefully for a singular instant, pondering her strange power and knowledge. But that hardly seemed to matter at the moment—he had the pearl, the gateway to his father's graveyard, and needed nothing more.

"At last," he murmured softly, turning his gaze out towards the depths of the forest. Jaken was not far away—he could smell him on the crisp breeze. He would need him to open the gate. The Staff of Two Heads was crucial in this, he knew. He glanced over his shoulder to his half-brother, who clutched a hand over his eye and snarled furiously, writhing to his feet.

"Up so quickly? Admirable," Sesshoumaru said, laughter dancing along the edges of his voice as he turned away. "Follow me, sweet brother. Follow me and face your death!" He threw his head back, silver hair streaming, and leapt into the snowy depths of the forest, following the trail that would lead him to Jaken and, at last, his father's grave.

xXx

Kagome's chest heaved as Sesshoumaru disappeared into the forest, almost too fast for her eyes to follow. InuYasha was up and after him in a moment, blood welling between his fingers and throaty snarls escaping from his lips. He seemed to have momentarily forgotten her presence—which was likely a good thing, as she had the Shikon no Tama buried in her side. She pressed back against the cold bark of the tree behind her as he darted by, squeezing her eyes shut.

And then everything was suddenly quiet. Horribly, unexpectedly, _frighteningly_ quiet. She could hear her pulse pounding like a hurricane in her ears and her wheezing breath strangling in her throat. Her eyes flashed open as she pushed herself clumsily to her feet, urging her knees to stop shaking.

_The Well..._ she thought, and image of its old, wooden panels flashing through her mind. She could escape back to her own time now—they would never notice her absence until it was too late. She could back and try again, and perhaps next time she would find herself in the right place, in the 'right' time.

_But if it doesn't work?_ If it didn't work then she would have abandoned InuYasha. She would have left him to fight his brother—neither of them able to wield the Tetsusaiga without her assistance. The only thing that had saved InuYasha's life three years past was the fact that she had been there. Without her, what would happen to him?

_Would he die? Would everything be changed?_ He might die either way, of course. The sword could only be used in the protection of a human being, and he seemed unlikely to come to her aide _now_. But still...

_Still..._

She brushed the tears away, stumbling around the edge of the tree and making her way as fast as she could after the two silver-haired brothers. She pushed through the snow, brambles and bushes and branches catching her clothing, tearing at her skin and hindering her progress. She ignored all of this, however, a thousand images flashing through her mind.

"_I mean, let me _protect_ you! Do you _hear_?"_

She gritted her teeth as his voice echoed in her mind, the image of his ever impatient face burned across her vision. And to think that just last night she was in such agony over him. To think that she had been so utterly miserable, thinking of how his mind had always been occupied with Kikyou. _Now_ she would give anything for the old InuYasha. Now she would _beg_ for their endless, pointless bickering. Now she would rejoice upon seeing that stubborn look flash across his face as he regarded her, crossing his arms and snorting while he mumbled under his breath. Anything, anything, _anything_...

_Anything but this._

She was startled when she stumbled into a small clearing, red robes flashing before her eyes. She stopped, stepping back slightly as her gaze focused on her surroundings. InuYasha was gone in an instant, the hint of red disappearing through a swirling portal suspended in midair, fast growing smaller. Her breath caught in her throat as she hesitated.

_Hurry, Kagome! Make your decision or it will be made for you!_ she admonished herself. Lurching forward, she tumbled gracelessly through, feeling the world warp around her...

...and suddenly she was gasping for breath as the wind rushed around her. She would have screamed except her lungs seemed to be empty and her brain appeared to have lost the ability to control her body. She tumbled, eyes wide with terror, through the open sky.

She let out a harsh grunt as her body landed forcibly on the bony spine of a winged skeleton, floating lightly through the air. Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, she tried desperately to still the dizzying sensation in her head and quell the urge to vomit that roiled in her stomach. She had flown countless times before, but she had already been tossed around enough today—both physically and emotionally—to merit sickness. The creature—she could only vaguely recall it from all those years ago—spiraled down towards the platform that marked InuYasha's father's grave.

She forced her eyes open, taking her time in the air to observe the situation below. Sesshoumaru was standing before the small pedestal that carried the old blade already, his head turned to stare at his upheld hand. It was hard to see clearly, but she was almost certain she could see wisps of smoke rising from his flesh. InuYasha was not far ahead of her, shouting something she couldn't quite make out as he leapt from the back of his own boney escort, landing with a crack on the field of bones below.

She quickly slid off the back of the unnerving creature as it settled down on the platform, taking to the air again the moment it was free of her. She watched it for an instant, a chill crawling up her spine, before she quickly turned her gaze to the trouble that ensued ahead of her. Jaken, the strange little green youkai, was scrambling towards the edge of the platform as Sesshoumaru deftly dodged a clumsy blow InuYasha shot his way.

_What will you do, Kagome?_ a voice asked in her head. It was her own voice, though it sounded far more reasonable than she currently felt.

_What _will_ I do?_

xXx

Sesshoumaru's mind reeled from the fact that he could not touch the blade. A barrier crackled around it, repelling him the moment he reached his hand out towards it, searing his flesh and sending sharp darts of pain up the length of his arm. The idea was almost unfathomable. There it was, right in front of him, old and decrepit in appearance as it stuck out from the pedestal, and yet he couldn't _take_ it.

_After searching for so long_, he thought, anger boiling in his mind. _It all comes to nothing._ It was cruel of his father—leaving him the utterly useless Tenseiga while handing the fang over to his pathetic hanyou brother. It was almost too much to bear.

He narrowed his eyes to slits as he leapt lightly out of the way of his half-brother's claws. The attack was clumsy, haphazard—easy to avoid.

"Our battle is not done yet, Sesshoumaru!" the whelp snarled, skidding to the ground and sending waves of bones flying in every direction as he landed. Was his father so cruel? He couldn't help but wonder, his gaze flicking between the hanyou and the old sword, mired in stone. Would he really, truly, leave the blade to InuYasha, whom he could kill with so little effort? He _had_ to know.

"Take it brother," he said, his voice a good deal more calm than he actually felt as he motioned with one elegant hand towards the sword. His brother growled, following the motion of his eyes and frowning, his brows furrowing.

"What do _I_ want with an old sword?" the fool asked haughtily, flexing his fingers. "These claws of mine are enough to handle _you_!"

Sesshoumaru lunged forward with an impatient snarl, bowling into InuYasha's side and sending him flying, bones once again scattering in every direction. The hanyou grunted as he hit the ground, one eye wide with anger, the other sealed shut and caked with blood. He pushed himself to his knees, his chest heaving with each breath.

"Take it," Sesshoumaru commanded a second time, his imperial voice electric with authority. The hanyou's lips twisted in a hateful scowl as he pushed himself to his feet. The pedestal was within reach, at his left, and his half-brother stumbled towards it, never removing his one eye from Sesshoumaru's face.

"Is this what you came for?" he asked as he moved, his voice full of mockery. "This pathetic stick of _rust_?"

_Is this whom you left the Tetsusaiga for, father?_ Sesshoumaru asked silently. _This hanyou who knows nothing, and calls it a 'stick of rust'?_ It was absurd—the Tetsusaiga, a stick of _rust_?

He did not respond, however. Such foolishness was not even worth his consideration. He simply narrowed his eyes, watching as his brother's hands curled around the worn hilt. He noted that the barrier did not try to repel _InuYasha_, and felt his heart thud heavily, once, in his chest as his half-brother began to pull.

The hanyou grunted as he pulled back on the sword, using one foot on the pedestal as leverage. Sesshoumaru was somewhat startled—and perhaps a little puzzled, and maybe even relieved—to see that the sword did not budge. No barrier threw him backwards, but all the same, no matter how much he pulled, the sword did not come free.

"What were you thinking, father?" he murmured to himself as the hanyou growled, letting go of the blade and whirling to face Sesshoumaru again.

"The worthless thing is stuck!" he snarled stupidly, as if that weren't obvious already. "What is this? Some sort of trick?"

"It seems you cannot remove the blade either," Sesshoumaru mused, focusing his golden eyes on his half-brother again. "Then I have no use for you." He lunged forward without a second thought, claws gleaming.

InuYasha stumbled backwards, snarling as the poisonous claws bit into his shoulder. He threw his head back and howled in fury and pain as he felt the venomous touch sizzle through his flesh, burning it away until only a gaping hole in his shoulder remained. Sesshoumaru removed his claws, leaping backwards lightly and cocking his head to the side. It was all too easy and he, in his frustration, desired and actual _battle_.

"Foolish brother," he snorted. "At least make it _something _of a—" he broke off in mid-sentence, his entire body tensing as his gaze flashed to the left. His golden eyes widened.

The strange young miko stood over the pedestal, her black hair half-obscuring her face as she stumbled back. She had removed the sword.

She had removed _Tetsusaiga_.

xXxXxXx

**Next Chapter**

**Chapter Three: A Taiyoukai's Patience**

Fate is cruel and painful in too many ways to count. With her beloved seeking her death, Kagome's fate suddenly lies in the hands of Sesshoumaru—the seemingly heartless inuyoukai she had faced in battle so many times before.

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((If you've gotten this far, take a minute or two and write a review! Hey... that rhymes! I think _that_ deserves a review if nothing else does, eh? -shameless nudge-))


	4. A Taiyoukai's Patience

**Chapter Three: A Taiyoukai's Patience**  
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She had removed _Tetsusaiga_.

How was it possible? How was it possible that _he_ could not remove it—could not even _touch_ it—and yet she, somehow, _could_? How was it possible that a mere human could know so much about him and his half-brother—and even his long dead father? How was it possible that she had known where to find his father's grave, that she had known the riddle and its answer, with which he had struggled for so many long years. How was _any_ of it possible?

He dodged out of the way of his brother's next clumsy attack, lashing out with a punch that landed squarely on the hanyou's gut. The fool soared through the air—not for the first time—crashing into the bone-strewn ground a few yards away. Sesshoumaru didn't spare him so much as a glance, striding quickly to where the strange miko stood over the blade, her fingers clutched convulsively around the hilt. Her hair veiled her face and she did not glance up upon his approach, though by the stiffening of her shoulders, he knew she was aware of his presence.

"Give me the Tetsusaiga, girl," he hissed impatiently, his pride more than a little stricken by the fact that she had succeeded where he had failed. His fingers twitched, his claws longing to bury themselves deep in her flesh and tear her infuriating life apart. But who was to say what _other_ gems of knowledge she carried in that seemingly human head of hers? No—she was far too valuable a life to be wasted on mere impatience. He would keep her alive until her value had played itself out. _Then_ he would kill her.

"You cannot wield it," she whispered, her voice stricken, but lacking some of the sniveling desperation of before. "It can only be used by one who carries human blood in their veins... and even then, only in the _defense_ of a human." He narrowed his eyes in annoyance, his sharp hearing picking up the sound of his half-brother's movement behind them.

_I'll cut the fool in _two_, _he thought venomously.

"Nonsense," he said aloud, reaching out to grasp the blade. She did not move back, allowing his fingers to brush over the hilt. The moment his skin brushed near the old leather, the barrier flared to life once again, crackling in his veins. He jerked his hand back, lips pulled from teeth in another silent snarl.

So she was right—again. _How?_How did she know such things that even _he_ was unaware of?

Her gaze lifted at last, brown eyes meeting his with a strange, unfathomable determination.

His thoughts were jerked rudely back to the annoying presence of his half-brother. He whirled around smoothly, grabbing the hanyou by the foot as he leapt to attack, once again tossing him carelessly away. The half-blood howled in angry frustration, twisting in the air and landing, for once, on his own two feet. The boy was proving to be more of a nuisance than entertainment—too weak to truly put up a fight, but too strong to be ignored altogether.

"Jaken!" he snapped impatiently. The little youkai scrambled forward, clattering noisily through the field of bones as he dashed towards his master. Sesshoumaru made a sharp motion with his hand, indicating his half-brother. He could feel red-hot anger boiling up in his chest—the situation was entirely impossible. Finally, _finally_, the Tetsusaiga was within his reach... and yet he could not _wield_ it.

"Get rid of him," he growled out the order. "Use the staff." It was time to end this pointless battle. It was time to settle down somewhere and sort out what had happened and, more importantly, what was _going_ to happen. It was time to tear that wretched human's skull open and pick her brains until he knew _exactly_ who and what she was.

"InuYasha!" the girl cried, stumbling forward. Sesshoumaru caught her by the waist as she attempted to slip by him, lifting her effortlessly. The smaller youkai turned, slamming the bottom of the staff against the cluttered floor and directing the ugly, grizzled head towards the hunched figure of the hanyou. The taiyoukai watched, satisfied, as a breathtakingly large gout of flame shot forward from the old head's mouth, sizzling in the air.

"_InuYasha_!" the girl screamed, the stench of terror roiling off her body in thick waves. He tightened his grip around her waist, making another impatient motion towards the green youkai. It was time to be off.

He threw himself into the air, girl in arm, servant clutching the white tail that streamed behind him. She struggled against him, kicking and flailing as she stared desperately back towards the bone-strewn platform and the leaping flames.

The sorrow that clung to her scent made him wonder if perhaps she was telling the truth—if perhaps she _did_ know the hanyou from another, long past time.

xXx

It was pain that dragged her back into cursed consciousness. It tingled up her spine, burning in her veins and searing along her skin. Every inch of her body ached with emotional and physical stress to the point where she could barely move. Her head throbbed, scattering whatever incoherent thoughts remained in her mind—and just to put salt in her wounds, whatever she had been sleeping on was _very_ hard and _very_ cold.

A soft moan escaped her lips as she pushed herself up onto her elbows, squinting at her dim surroundings. The ground was indeed hard and cold: packed, frozen earth littered with brittle sticks and small rocks that jabbed into her ribs and left ugly imprints on her skin. Whoever had settled her here hadn't bothered to clear away the rubble beneath. A small fire crackled not far away at the center of what appeared to be a sliver of clearing in the forest. Dark trees loomed up from the frosted ground on all sides, their branches lacing together to form a quasi-barrier against the worst of the snow. On the other side of the flicking flames, she could just barely make out the black outline of a small, squat figure carrying what appeared to be a walking stick much too large for it.

Speaking of...

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" she murmured softly, carefully keeping the honorific _-sama_ added to the end of the name, for safety's sake. Perhaps it was all a dream. Perhaps InuYasha would step forth from the edge of the gloomy woods and ask her why in the world she was whispering _his_ name of all things. Perhaps the misshapen little _thing_ that sat across the flames was Shippou...

Her eyes adjusted slowly to the light of the fire and the deep darkness that surrounded it, and she knew that her prayers would go unanswered. She could not find the tell-tale glint of silky white hair, nor the golden flecks that marked the taiyoukai's eyes. The only creature keeping her company seemed to be the odd little green one—Jaken. His eternally wide, orb-like eyes stared at her unblinkingly.

"Sesshoumaru-sama is not back yet, human," the youkai remarked disdainfully, as if the mere act of speaking to her were something disgusting and degrading. His expression appeared arrogant, though it was honestly hard to tell on his strangely inhuman features. She stared at him silently for a moment, massaging her shoulders in a vain attempt to press some of the ache out of them.

_And to think that just last night I was so unappreciative of a warm bath and equally warm bed_, she thought wryly.

She inched towards the crackling flames before pausing, her gaze catching on something else. It looked like an unusually straight stick at first, though a moment's inspection revealed the smooth, straight lines of an old sword, its worn hilt glinting dully in the orange glow.

"Tetsusaiga," she breathed. Rusted and scarred, it looked just the same as she remembered. How unusual it was to see it standing alone, lying across the ground rather than propped against InuYasha's shoulder. The hanyou had never let the sword out of his sight, very rarely relinquishing it to the care of another. Without him to carry it, it looked as average and unremarkable as any other ancient sword one might find in the region.

"It seems that Sesshoumaru-sama cannot wield the sword himself," the little youkai sniffed disdainfully. "That's why he has taken you—to carry it until such a time as he may carry it alone." The youkai did not seem happy about this in the least. He regarded her suspiciously, his beak-like mouth turned down in an irritated frown. She wondered if he blamed the barrier on the blade upon _her_.

Her hand reached out slowly, her fingers running along the jagged edge of the blade. It was hard to believe that this was the weapon InuYasha had used to save her life so many times before. It was no longer his to carry now, it seemed. She wondered if it ever would be again.

_I've got to get home_, she thought desperately. Strange that home to her was no longer her home in Tokyo, but her 'home' in _Sengoku Jidai_. Her home among her friends, and with an InuYasha that knew and cared for her, at least on some level.

"He'll never be able to wield it," she murmured at last, dragging herself back to the present moment and aware from painful thoughts of her beloved hanyou. Her heart ached in her chest, throbbing against her ribs. It was the only thing familiar to her in this strange twist of events—that old pain.

She turned her gaze away from the blade, glancing around her surroundings again. The trees loomed as dark and silent as ever, and she could make out the thin gleam of starlight between their intertwining branches. She wondered where exactly she was—if the Bone Eater's Well was near, she might be able to escape back to her own time and try again. Perhaps it was a one-time mistake. If she went back to the future and returned again, perhaps she would end up where she was _supposed_ to be. The right place, the right time.

_The right place and time isn't in the past at all_, she thought wryly, her heart picking up its pace and her throbbing headache increasing in tempo. _I shouldn't be anywhere in the _Sengoku Jidai_ at all_. The idea of going back to the future and staying there was growing increasingly more appealing with each passing moment.

Her ever-present thoughts of InuYasha crushed any desire to return and remain where she belonged—the future, or perhaps the 'present' was a better term for it. There was no chance she could possibly return to her life there without knowing that InuYasha was safe and happy.

"Where are we?" she asked tiredly, cutting off whatever Jaken had been saying while she muddled in her private thoughts. The youkai made another disdainful sniffing sound, shifting the apparent walking stick from one shoulder to the other.

"We are a ways away from the God-Tree where InuYasha was bound, though still in the same forest," he responded sourly. "Now stop talking, human. You tire me!"

If she hadn't been so distressed with her situation, she might have found the whole thing absolutely hilarious. Here was the little green youkai that looked almost comically like a bed monster in some children's book berating _her_ as if she were some lower being—not to mention he had been doing most of the talking, not she. He was the same as she recalled, of course, always looking down on humans in general despite the fact that he did little more than tag around at Sesshoumaru's heels and avoid battling as much as possible. Still, she had rarely been in contact with him back—when?—and this was something entirely new to her.

_I could get up and leave now_, she mused. She wasn't certain if the youkai would be able to harm her or not. On one hand, he had the staff—and she had seen just what that was capable of doing, and she had no robe like InuYasha's to protect her from the flames. On the other hand, however, she was needed to carry the Tetsusaiga, wasn't she? He wouldn't risk Sesshoumaru's ire by killing her during an escape attempt—or so she thought. Of course, they could easily kidnap another human to carry the sword from some nearby village.

_But perhaps he does not know that_, she mused. It would be best if she kept the little youkai and his master in the dark as much as she possibly could without getting herself killed. The less they knew, the greater her advantage was, and the greater her advantage, the _safer_ she was. Yes, that seemed logical...

_Then again, if I got them another human to carry the blade around, perhaps they would let me go and I could make my way back to the Bone Eater's Well and..._ Her thoughts trailed off helplessly. She didn't know _what_ to do—mostly because she wasn't at all certain what _he_ would do. It was a difficult task, deciding how to act when she couldn't discern how the taiyoukai was likely to _react_.

But then it was too late.

She lifted her gaze as Sesshoumaru's elegant figure moved gracefully into the flickering glow of the fire, his fur draped over his shoulder and his haori in pristine condition. It seemed that no matter how many fights he delved into, he never looked even slightly ruffled by the end. There were no tangles in his beautiful hair, no stains on his clothing and no blood or scars marring his white skin. He was a perfect specimen of the youkai race—a lord over lords. A _tai_youkai.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" squawked Jaken, scrambling to his feet and bending over in a clumsy bow. "Welcome back. I have prepared a fire for your return." The youkai lord ignored him quite blatantly. His gaze scanned over the clearing before coming to rest chillingly on her, and she met his gaze as daringly as she could muster. He said nothing, however, and after a moment he turned away, moving over to a tree just barely illuminated by the edge of the fire's flickering light, as far away from the two as he could get without stepping into darkness altogether. He sat down smoothly, his back leaning up against the trunk, one leg stretched out on the ground and the other pulled close to his chest.

Kagome stared at the great youkai quietly for a long moment before once again inching closer to the fire, leaving the Tetsusaiga where it lay. She pulled her shoes and then her socks off, wiggling her stiff toes as they absorbed the heat. She wasn't certain sure what else she could do—Seshoumaru was not the type of youkai one could easily start a conversation with, and Jaken didn't seem likely to help.

"Why am I here?" she asked after a long stretch of awkward silence. Not awkward for him, she imagined, but certainly for herself. She knew the answer to her question already, but it seemed a reasonable way to start _something_. Then again, perhaps it was smarter not to start anything at all.

Jaken opened his mouth to respond angrily—probably to remind her that he had already told her of her purpose. It was Sesshoumaru who answered first, however, silencing any remark the smaller youkai might have made.

"You are here because I will it," he answered. There was no hatred in his voice, no impatience, no anger. There wasn't much of anything at all. He was simply speaking, his voice cool and calm. "I cannot carry the Tetsusaiga myself, and so, for the time being, you will carry it for me."

"You will never be able to wield it," Kagome blurted out, repeating the words she had mumbled mumbled multiple times before. Her head was still throbbing, though the ache in her limbs was beginning to alleviate as the heat of the fire seeped slowly into her flesh. Even the painful throbbing of her heart began to subside as she turned her thoughts away from InuYasha and on to the present situation. She wondered again, briefly, if perhaps it was better to just keep her mouth shut.

"Tell me why," he demanded coolly. There was no point keeping the entire truth from him, and so she offered up half of the answer.

"...because it can only be wielded for the protection of a mortal," she answered softly, watching his face as she huddled close to the soothing warmth of the flames. Jaken listened in silence, his eerie gaze catching the light of the fire and reflecting it outwards again.

"That does indeed pose something of a problem," he said pensively, his gaze directed at the modest campfire. For some reason those words struck her as oddly funny, despite the fact that he seemed entirely serious in their utterance.

"Tell me, girl," Sesshoumaru continued slowly after another long pause. His golden eyes shifted from the fire, settling on her with the force of a ten ton boulder. "Why do you emit so much power?"

She stared, the question striking her as entirely unexpected. For a moment she hadn't a clue as to what he spoke of—she had never been considered a particularly strong miko, at least not compared to Kikyou and certain other priestesses of legend and lore, and no youkai had ever before remarked on any sort of 'power' that she might emit. Her mouth opened as she struggled for something to say before closing it again.

The realization hit hard and fast.

She inwardly cursed herself for forgetting the immensely dangerous situation she was in. It wasn't so much that she had been kidnapped by a seemingly heartless taiyoukai, nor the fact that the man she had fallen in love with was out for her blood. No—the Shikon no Tama was buried in her flesh, and any and all youkai in the area would be undoubtedly drawn to it.

The inuyoukai's gaze boring holes into her skull dragged her back to the present. She gulped, her gaze flicking around nervously as she struggled to come up with a quick lie. Certainly he'd find out eventually, but she was in no way ready to feel his claws digging in her flesh to tear it from her.

"That is..." she trailed off helplessly, her gaze turning back to Sesshoumaru. She suddenly, and rather stupidly, wished she had taken the Tetsusaiga with her to the side of the fire, though it wouldn't be of any help.

_He never showed any interest in the jewel before,_ she thought reassuringly. _Though then again... who is to say what _else_ might have changed this time around?_ Her reassuring ideas crumbled.

"It's because I am a miko," she blurted out abruptly, desperately grabbing at the first semi-plausible lie that came to mind. "Yes! Because I am... a very powerful miko." Her fingers clutched unconsciously at her side and she bowed her head with a grimace as Sesshoumaru's eyes slowly narrowed to molten-gold slits. She _knew_ that he was aware of her lie. There was no way he could believe such a pathetic, half-baked excuse as that. Thus she was somewhat startled when his gaze turned slowly back to the fire and he asked a different question instead, rather then ripping one of her limbs off.

"How do you know my foolish half-brother?" he asked. Kagome nearly heaved a sigh of relief, her hand cautiously moving away from her side and going instead to rub her throbbing temple. _this is far too much to deal with in one day_, she thought bitterly. 'Life shattering' seemed to be a good phrase for it. She was rather proud of herself for handling it all so well, excluding her pathetic attempt at lying.

"I have met him before," she murmured slowly. "But I don't believe he remembers me." It wasn't a lie—not really, anyway. She _had_ met him before. 'Before' in the near future. And he really _didn't_ remember her, either—he had mistaken her for Kikyou yet again. Her heart clenched at the thought.

"Unless I am mistaken, he has been pinned to that tree many more years than you have been alive," the answer came calmly. It was unnerving, just how composed he was—especially considering the impatience and frustration he had shown at his father's grave.

"Do not lie to Sesshoumaru-sama, filthy _human_!" Jaken interrupted, breaking his silence as his little hand clenched around the staff threateningly. Kagome glanced to him only momentarily before fixing her gaze back on Sesshoumaru. The taiyoukai's expression had not changed—in fact, he gave no sign of having heard Jaken at all.

"I'm _not_," she muttered, lowering her head and staring at the ground. The headache was getting worse, though at least her body ached a little less.

"Then how did you meet my lord's half-brother if he has been nearly dead all this time?" Jaken asked haughtily, his giant eyes narrowing. The firelight played across his taut, green skin in eerie ways. He was not a threatening figure in the least, but his features were at least somewhat imposing in the moment.

She was becoming desperate now. There were far too many questions that she wasn't certain she could answer. She could tell the truth of course—the _real_ truth—but then she would lose whatever advantage she held over the two youkai, and she was relatively certain that her ability to carry the Tetsusaiga wasn't the _only_ thing keeping her alive. Besides, even if she _did_ tell them what had honestly happened, would they believe her? The story was hard to fathom even for she, who had lived it.

"That... I can't say," she whispered with another grimace. Even if he would not kill her, there was no reason Sesshoumaru wouldn't at least _hurt_ her.

_You only need one arm to carry a sword, correct?_ She could already hear his cool voice threateningly mocking her in her head.

"What manner of clothing do you wear? Where does it come from?" Sesshoumaru interrupted before Jaken had a chance to protest. She was amazed—amazed that he had yet to threaten her, even though she was most definitely _not _adequately answering all of his questions. Or any of them, really. He only stared at the fire, however, a serene expression on his aristocratic features.

"My clothes?" she asked, glancing down at her body. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, as well as a light winter jacket. The jacket was unbuttoned, revealing the tight black shirt beneath, decorated with what would be considered strange symbols to the two youkai: English. It was a popular trend in Tokyo.

"Oh. These are... uhm. These are from my home town," she answered. That wasn't really a lie either—though perhaps there was a tag on the back that said 'made in China', or some such. Still, the spirit of the statement wasn't exactly a lie.

"Strange. I have never seen attire like yours before, and I have traveled long and far from these lands," Sesshoumaru pointed out coldly.

"My... my home is _very_ far away. I doubt you would ever come across it by accident," she responded, attempting to keep her voice as calm and confident as possible. It was hard work.

Sesshoumaru did not respond, and neither did Jaken. The smaller youkai occupied himself with staring at her hatefully from across the fire while the larger gazed into the flickering flames in silence. She watched the two of them quietly for a time, only the snap of burning wood and the occasionally hoot of an owl interrupting the silence. Her body was beginning to feel heavy as lead, her eyes having trouble staying open. She could feel the darkness pressing in around her, caressing her exhausted body into a state of blissful unawareness.

_Perhaps when I wake, this will all be just a dream..._ was her last thought before she finally gave in to the shadows and fell into a deep but troubled sleep.

xXx

"What do you think of her, Sesshoumaru-sama?" his youkai servant asked as the human quietly drifted off to sleep, her body curling into a ball as one hand clutched at her side. He ignored the question, turning his head away from the fire to gaze out into the looming darkness that was, to his sharp eyes, not so dark at all.

"Get to sleep, Jaken. We will leave early on the morrow. My foolish half-brother is still in the area," he responded. The little youkai squeaked in acquiescence, fumbling around until he found an apparently comfortable position and closing his luminous eyes. He remained away for some time, however, silent and motionless, and it was only until much later that Sesshoumaru heard the steadying of his breath and the soft snores that marked his sleep.

His gaze shifted over to the human then. Her face was contorted in sleep with an expression of deeply rooted anxiety. That was not surprising in the least, of course, considering she had just been kidnapped by a taiyoukai. Still, she was a miko, and that made everything a thousand times harder to comprehend. Why had she not attempted to purify him, though she claimed she was so strong a priestess? Any other miko put into such a situation, even one with half her strength, would have put up _some_ sort of fight—and likely died in the process, though that was hardly the point. And yet this girl—she who had removed the seal on InuYasha and even taken the Tetsusaiga itself—curled up helplessly on the cold ground without so much as putting up a squabble.

This made him _almost_ nervous.

There were many strange things about the human that he could not fathom. His nearly uncontrollable anger had worn off, his frustration over the unusable Tetsusaiga finally caving in to the voice of reason that remained always in the forefront of his mind. She was too valuable: there was a strange depth of knowledge that seemed unnatural to him, stored in the depths of her mind. He had not smelled the scent of lies on her when she claimed she had met InuYasha previously, either. And yet... she was obviously far too young to have done so—certainly not while he was conscious, at the very least, and only a fool would claim to know an unconscious man. He hadn't smelled the scent of lies when she had told him of her clothing as well.

She _had_ lied while trying to explain the strange power emitted from her body, however, and he hardly needed his nose to tell him that. That was yet another curiosity—exactly what _was_ it that he sensed? It continued to call to him even now, though more subtly as he resisted its lure.

_Who exactly _are_ you, girl?_ he mused to himself, listening to his two companions' quiet breathing. There was no answer forthcoming. The heavens were silent on the matter and the moon watched him from its lazy perch in the sky—the same crescent silhouette imprinted on his forehead. It didn't matter. He would keep her by him and find out all these answers and more, with time—even if he had to rip them out of her. For the moment, she would carry the Tetsusaiga for him, until he found the secret to wielding it for himself. The barrier his father had placed on it was still effective and, if the girl was right, it would not transform for him. Not ever, perhaps.

_Using the Tetsusaiga to protect pathetic humans_, he thought disdainfully, his eyes narrowing. _That is something only _you_ would do, father. I am not so foolish._

He flexed his hands, turning away from the fire so that his cheek rested against the soft fur pelt wrapped around his shoulder. He would have his answers _eventually_, he knew. Now all he required was a bit of patience.

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**Next Chapter  
Chapter Three: Lady Exterminator**

Sango finds herself caught in a plot far beyond her own understanding when she wanders into a peaceful village, nestled in a valley beneath the Bone Eater's Well. When told of the legend of Kikyou, she visits the God-Tree to see the hanyou sealed there with her own eyes—only to find that he is not so bound as she was told.

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((Review! Now! Please! Purdy please! Purdy please with Sesshoumaru Sugar on top? ...oh my, that sounds kind of naughty...))


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